


Water is Wet

by docious



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-23 06:51:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6108557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/docious/pseuds/docious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ali learns the importance of wearing lifejackets, aka the story where the child of world-famous cryptozoologists falls in love with a mermaid.</p>
<p>It's not nearly as complicated as it sounds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. More Room for Me on the Low Road

Ali had never seen the point in owning a dog.

Sure, some of them were cute and she could totally see the allure of having an instant cuddle buddy - but she had just never had the urge to own one.

Her brother Kyle, on the other hand, almost immediately got a puppy as soon as he got his own place. When your parents are some of the most famous and well respected cryptozoologists in the world - growing up camping on Himalayan mountain tops, tanning in Australian deserts, and mucking through Louisianan swamps.

Compared to that, dogs seem, well, kind of lame or maybe tame was a better word for it?

The dog (Luna, Kyle absolutely insisted) was cute she supposed, and even if Kyle had only had the dog for a couple of months - they'd been able to synchronize that pathetically cute puppy dog pout and look at Ali with those big brown eyes and - She had been looking after Luna for about three days.

Kyle would be back from his vacation in four. Fortunately, Kyle reassured her (multiple times) Luna was the absolute best dog in the world and was basically a plant.

Just one she had to walk.

***

It was a particularly dreary day.

Lost in thoughts of Amazonian jungles and nice Trinidadian street vendors, Ali lounged on the couch with a blanket artfully and unappreciately draped across her body, waiting for the rain to let so she could walk Luna. She craned her neck to look over the back of the couch, snapping her fingers to get Luna’s attention.

"Come on, Luna. It's now or never." She quickly put on her coat and clipped on the dog's leash, laughing as the excited puppy jumped around, both of them eager to get outside.

Within minutes, they were making their way to the beach, an expensive perk to living in one of the best apartments in town.

After walking several minutes, it was clear that Luna was more interested in chasing birds than using the bathroom. Ali drew her coat tighter around herself and led the dog to a more secluded part of the beach. She watched as Luna sniffed and pawed at the rocks before finally traveling a little further into the brush to use the bathroom.

"Imagine a dog afraid of being watched,” Ali chuckled to herself, face stinging a bit as the wind picked up.

Suddenly, lightening lit up the sky.

Ali's only warning was a high-pitched squeak before Luna zoomed from the brush, unexpectedly ripping the leash out of her hand, and ran down the beach. The girl sent a mental curse to Kyle - " _Why do I feel cold all of sudden?_ " - and chased after the dog.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Ali groaned as she watched Luna run along an old fishing dock. The abandoned thing was clearly unsafe and, with the sea was turning an angry dark color, Ali felt her adrenaline spike.

"Luna! Come here, girl. We need to get home!" Luna, pathetic and scared to death, whimpered and huddled against a post.

As the rain whipped into her face, Ali realized she was actually going to have to chase after Luna. Holding her arms out for balance, Ali slowly made her way to the puppy, who ran into Ali’s arms.

"Stupid dog! Don't ever run off like that!" She scolded, kissing her head and bringing Luna tight against her chest. They really needed to get off this dock, off this beach, and inside. She tightened her hold on the puppy - the beach didn't look that far away a second ago. “Fuck me sideways...”

The tip of her shoe touched the board in front of her.

"Steady...steady..." she repeated, hoping the mantra would calm her nerves.

It was simple - test. safe? safe! move one space. repeat.

"Steady..." She could almost feel the sand under her feet when suddenly a particularly violent sequence of events happened.

Lightning struck.

Waves struck.

Wind struck.

(Bad timing in general struck.)

Luna just about screamed.

Ali did scream.

Ali never really liked dogs.

***

She felt as if she was dying.

Correction: she _was_ dying.

So, in a way, she felt exactly how she was supposed to feel.

The water was cold and mean and horrible and - just all-around bad, really. It thrashed the girl around as if she weighed nothing. She vaguely registered pain in one of her legs; she couldn’t tell which one and what did it matter?

So, she hurt her leg, what’s a little leg pain when you’re going to drown either way.

She spent more and more time underwater than above it, and it got harder to find a reason to fight - to _live_. The water never stopped and her muscles ached and her vision blackened around the edges and - and - and - she was going to die.

She hadn't even graduated yet, and she had to go get herself killed.

For a dog.

She didn't even like dogs!

It wasn't even _her_ dog.

Life just wasn't fair.

Damn that stupid Kyle and that stupid dog of his to every level of Hell.

***

Death was like a cave. It was cold, wet, and dark.

But instead of a musky smell, it was salty.

Kind of like the ocean.

There were waves, too.

Wait, _waves_? Now, she heard the saying "life's a beach," but it never occurred to her to include death as well. Then again, anyone who would know had, well, died.

Death was never a great messenger.

Ali curled her fingers. Okay, she had mobility - at least in her right hand. She tried her left, and the fingers moved exactly like she wanted. So, maybe she wasn't dead?

Ali cracked open her eyes; she was definitely somewhere dark, probably a cave or something similarly creepy and damp.

She felt something on her body, almost like a wet towel. It was cold and slimy and she needed it off _yesterday_. Groaning, she tried to sit up, but a sudden explosion of pain quickly told her just how bad of an idea that was. As it turned out, it was her left leg.

She couldn't see what it looked under the seaweed, but she knew probably wasn't pretty. Definitely would take some stitches. However, besides her leg, she felt more tired than hurt. She eased back onto the ground, resting her hands on her stomach.

_Weird_ , she thought. _I almost drowned_. _There should at least be some chest pain_.

Remembering what her father taught her, Ali decided to remain calm and try to regain some strength before trying to move out of the cave. There didn't seem to be any immediate danger and trying to move with her leg hurt coupled with her exhaustion would just cause more harm than good.

She looked around - yup, she was in a cave.

It was illuminated by the slight sunlight reflecting of the incoming waves, located just a few feet away from her. The rest was to her left but too dark to see much. Ali looked back at the water; the waves seemed to take on a musical quality - the charge and retreat of the water creating a lullaby just for her.

She yawned and felt her exhaustion start to overtake her.


	2. Crying: Acceptable at Funerals

Ali visited Tibet for the first time when she was seven. Her parents were on their annual Look-for-Yetis expedition and do to a fortuitous bathroom flooding, Ali and Kyle were free to join them.  

It snowed for five days straight, and all flights were canceled until further notice. The freezing airport and instant noodles got old fast. The other passengers opted for walking to the nearest village in search of lodging, but the Kriegers decided to sleep in the airport (it wasn't until years later, in a bout of bitterness, that Kyle told her that their parents couldn't afford a hotel).

Her father (this was before the Chupacabra Accident) lifted her onto his shoulders, pretending they were Yetis lost in the airport. Kyle and Ali played games, both old and made-up on the spot, throughout the day to entertain themselves. Their mother MCed Ali and Kyle's makeshift fashion show of lost-and-found items. Every night after dinner, Mr. Krieger made hot chocolate, and they watched the sunset over the snowy hills and mountains.

Ali loved it.

It wasn't until the snow finally died down, until they had stepped off the plane, that the spell broke. That the cracks started to show.

Cryptology, before the Big Lake Discovery of ‘01, wasn’t exactly the flourishing field it was now. Plane tickets, gear, and crews weren't cheap. Kyle was getting to the age where stories of monsters and sea creatures only entertained dusty scholarly types and schoolyard bullies.

Then, there was Ali - a young girl who loved feeling ten feet tall riding her dad’s shoulders, laughing as her brother tried on any and every fashion combination she could think of, sitting cuddled in her mom’s arms watching as the snow fell.

Ali tended to omit that in her Favorite Memories essays for school.

***

Ali, who survived snakebites, falling off a mountain, and Kyle's ex-boyfriend’s Sunday dinners, started crying. She didn't bother to wipe them away, not recalling the last time her family had been together like that.  

Life _wasn't_ fair.

She felt something ghost long her cheek.

Ali's eyes snapped open. There was a figure above her but, in the dim light of the death cave, she couldn't see anything but the vague distinguishing features that marked a humanoid face – wet hair, sparkling eyes, pouty lips. They looked around her age, give or take a few years. Was it a gwishin? No, no, if she strained her eyes, Ali could definitely make out legs.

Plus, the figure appeared solid.

The person wiped away one of her tears and looked at it curiously. Bringing it close to their eyes then lowering it towards their mouth, the tip of their tongue peeking out.

"What are you doing?" Her voice seemed to startle the other person (and herself, honestly).

The stranger looked at her, hand stopping and head tilting. Their staring contest only lasted a moment before the stranger looked back at the tear.

Ali felt a bubble of frustration form - she wasn't used to being ignored, especially by some weird person that may or may not have saved her. “Did you save me?”

By this time, the stranger had brought the tear to their tongue, a smile barely visible in the faint light. Ali raised an eyebrow - definitely not a gwishin. It was humanoid in build and facial features, but she would need further data to form a hypothesis on species.

Willing herself not to scream and fight through the pain, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and dimly noted that there was more seaweed than before. The person's eyes grew huge, and they moved deeper into the cave.

_Hmm, easily startled. Not used to human contact?_

"My name is Ali. Did you save me?" she asked slowly, keeping her tone level as possible. God, it felt like her leg was ripped open. What sea god did she anger?

The stranger's mouth opened as if to speak, but after a few tense and silent moments, it became clear that they weren't going to say anything. Ali felt her frustration grow. Her parents would be so disappointed when they heard she botched her first personal cryptid encounter.

 _Remember deep breathes_ , a voice - sounding annoyingly close to her mother's - reminded her. _When facing a cryptid, it's pertinent to always remain calm, sweetie. They're probably more afraid of you than you could ever be of them._

Ali took a deep breath and slapped both of her cheeks. "If you saved me, thank you. I really appreciate it."

She was silent for a moment, carefully watching for any sign of understanding. The figure just stared back, their hand dropping to their side. Ali let her eyes roam a bit, noting anything out of the ordinary of her (potential???) savior. The figure had clothes, ragged and mismatching. Long hair, wet and clinging to their face.

The cryptid (Ali refused to call it a person after the tear-eating) was looking past her towards the waves with a weird expression. Ali kept her eyes trained on the cryptid but felt her heart beating faster.

Currently, she was hurt in a strange location with an unknown cryptid (that had admittedly done nothing but evidently rescue her from certain death and try to treat her wounds), and she really needed to pee.

“Al...i." The stranger said, turning to look at her. Ali's eyes widened - _Ability to form speech!_ "Ali?"

Instead of answering, Ali asked, "You can talk?"

With a tilted head and wide smile, the stranger stared intently at Ali.

_Oh god oh man oh man oh man_

"Cool." _Oh, shit this is awesome. I'm actually talking with it, a cryptid! Oh God I may actually throw up._

There was an awkward silence.

While Ali struggled to contain her excitement and find what she wanted to say, the cryptid seemed content to just watch Ali's mental breakdown.

Ali racked her brain for something to keep the conversation going.

"Did you put this seaweed on me?" she asked, motioning to the layers of seaweed. While not completely uncomfortable, there was a definite gross factor.

Cue another nod. "Leg...hurt."

"No offense, but it's kind of gross."

"Leg gross."

"Hey, I was in a storm! I can't control that," Ali argued, causing the stranger to laugh. The sound bounced off the walls, and Ali felt her head hurt from the noise. Ali felt more than saw the stranger move closer to her. _That's it; keep it calm._

"Thing gone," the stranger stated abruptly.

Ali was momentarily lost. _Thing?_ She closed her eyes and tried to think back. _Rain, beach, Luna, the dock..._

"Luna? Is Luna okay?"

"Brown–" the stranger made a rectangular shape with their hands "–loud."

"Luna," Ali sighed, relieved that the dog was still alive.

The stranger nodded. She didn't bother asking how Luna was sent for help.

"What's your name, anyway? I mean, isn't it like savior protocol to tell your rescuee your name."

"Name? Hmm," they said, seemingly amused by Ali's rambling. "Name–"

The stranger was interrupted by the sound of high–pitched barking and running.

Ali looked around for the source, but the cave walls made it difficult to pinpoint. She brought her hands to her mouth and yelled, "Help! Please, help me!"

 _Finally._ Ali felt her shoulders relax (she didn't even know they were tense) and looked in the stranger's direction.

She was alone.


	3. But We Ignore That

Kyle almost made her pass out, hugging her so tightly she couldn’t breathe.  

Well, first he cried on the phone, immediately cutting his vacation short and flew back. _Then_ , he almost made her pass out.

Ali felt she was lucky that her brother didn’t cry on her.

***

She didn't tell anyone about her rescuer.

Not because she didn't think anyone would believe her (her parents went on annual Yeti expeditions, for God’s sake), but because she knew her parents were much more likely to _over_ believe her.

They would have the entire beach locked down in search of the mysterious thing/person (who Ali dubbed Tear-eater in her head). Her parents notwithstanding, Ali wasn't even 100% sure there had been a rescuer - maybe it was some half-conscious hallucination. Hallucinations (as it should be pointed out) had the ability to be extremely vivid and lifelike, even to people whose parents didn't have them learning about and chasing after creatures that most kids only saw in movies and cartoons.

Oh, and there had been a substantial amount of time where the ocean did _whatever hell it wanted_ with her body, too. That, coupled with her already loosely defined sense of reality, really didn't combine to a trustworthy time-line of events.

Keeping that in mind, she didn't tell anyone about what happened. Or what she thought happened. Thought, hallucinated, dreamed, whatever.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean she stopped thinking about it. Tear-eater constantly plagued her mind.

_Just what are you? Who are you?_

***

By the time she was released from the hospital, Ali decided Tear-eater the Rescuer was real.

It wasn't until four days later that she actually did something about it. Kyle forbade her from doing, well, anything. Her brother was afraid that Ali would hurt herself - or, God forbid, almost drown and break her leg.

As if she was that careless.

So, maybe just maybe, Kyle had a point.

However, Ali couldn't stand a second more in the apartment. Luna was a semi-welcome distraction, but the dog went to doggy daycare every morning until Ali could walk unassisted again. After her brother had left that morning, Luna obediently at his feet - " _There's money on the counter. I'll be home by six. Be safe, Alex._ " - Ali was gone.

Okay, when she was planning her great escape, it definitely didn’t feature losing her breathe every couple of steps and politely waving off what seemed like every caring bystander in the near vicinity. Being gone required a little more work and manners than she thought.

The crutches threw her balance off, and they dug uncomfortably into her sides. But, and this was the important part, she was _free_.

The weather was nice, clear sky and calm winds. She crutched her way to the beach. Since the day was still early, it was virtually just her and the seagulls.

Ali watched the waves for a moment. Despite her accident, she felt no ill will to the water. In fact, it was the opposite; she found the waves calming.

She intended to walk to the cave where she was found, but, coupled with her current state of (im)mobility, she didn't actually know where to find it. Ali blacked out shortly after being found, and Kyle was decidedly lacking in the description of her rescue. Her brother mentioned something about Ali being stupid enough to go back to the place she almost died.

Kyle needed to learn how to trust Ali more.

After a quick glance at her watch, Ali wondered down the sidewalk. In a perfect world, she would be walking on the beach, sand beneath her feet. On the other hand, in a perfect world, she wouldn't have crutches and twenty-seven stitches in her leg.

The sidewalk would do.

It took ten minutes longer than normal to reach the dock; it didn't look any worse for wear (Ali attributed that to it already being in the poorest condition possible). She eased her way onto a large moss-covered rock and sighed. Ali didn't know what she was planning on finding at the dock - a clue, maybe.

Just something. _Anything_.

It was just that this mysterious person came out of nowhere and saved her life, and she knew next to nothing about them (other than a weird tear fetish and ability to disappear). This person or whatever was someone that she literally owed her life; it annoyed Ali that she couldn't even thank them properly, whether that be a sincere verbal thanks or goat.

Frustrated and still undecided if today's mission was a failure, Ali tightened her grip on the crutches, preparing to stand back up. Unfortunately, she wasn't best friends with Gravity, who had no qualms about causing her fall on her face.

Ali's leg throbbed painfully, and she ended up biting her lip a touch too hard. It would do no good to cry, but that didn't mean it didn't make her feel better.

She carefully flipped onto her back and waited for the pain to subside. Ali couldn't wait until her leg healed; she hated how it limited her - how it caused her to be less than her best (and those crutches made it hard to be anything but).

"Why are you always crying?" someone asked, poking her cheek.

Frowning, she immediately slapped the hand away. "Quit it!"

It was Tear-eater (or she assumed, the cave was dark but that voice has literally been on repeat since waking up in the hospital) crouched in front of her.

"Is it comfortable? Laying down like that, I mean," Tear-eater said, smiling.

"Are you going to help me up or what?" she asked, teeth clenched as her leg spasmed again. Tear-eater, to her (weird tear-eating) credit, smiled and quickly moved to help Ali up. Unfamiliar hands were on her waist and a stranger's body was uncomfortably close to hers. Tear-eater smelt of the sea, but not in a bad way. It reminded Ali of how she imagined surfers always smelt of sunscreen, sex wax, and salt.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

She made no move to release Ali’s waist, completely at ease with the proximity. "Are you steady?"

"Yeah," Ali replied, moving in a way to make the other girl release her. She motioned to her crutches, causing the other girl to immediately bend down to grab them. Once uncomfortably jammed under her arms, Ali looked her rescuer up and down. "Thank you."

_A girl_ , Ali thought. _Huh, well this does narrow down possible cryptids._ Her clothes were new, much newer than Ali remembered them looking at Death Cave. And dry, but that seemed like a given. Her hair, a golden blonde, hung loosely and slightly curled down her shoulders. The girl was objectively good-looking Ali thought, begrudgingly noting the blonde was taller than her by a couple of inches.

Cue head tilt and furrowed brows. The girl had yet to break eye contact with Ali, almost unnervingly so. "You already said that."

"No. I meant for, uh, for saving me." Ali mentally rolled her eyes at her verbal stumble. "Before. During the storm. Thank you."

The girl smiled again, and Ali couldn't help but notice how it reached her eyes and a freaking dimple prominently displayed. "Anytime, Ali."

If she was a lesser person - which she wasn't because she's a _Krieger_ \- she would have blushed, but since she's a Krieger and Kriegers Don't Blush, especially not for weird smiley cryptids. She checked her watch, noting that she needed to take her medicine soon. "What's your name?"

"My name?"

"Yeah, you know mine, but I don't know yours." _Or anything else about you._ "So, your name."

"Ashlyn. My name is Ashlyn."

**Author's Note:**

> Posting something after years away. I like to think I've gotten better, but who really knows right? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
